Hole plug

ABSTRACT

A plug assembly for closing preformed apertures in panels, or for closing holes resulting from removal of so-called knock-outs, and the like; and which includes a hole-closing shallow cup-like or dished formation with outward peripheral flange means and a spring disk fixed to the bottom of the cup-like formation by riveting, welding or the like and extending slightly outwardly beyond the cup-like formation for disposition in spaced relation to the flange means; and the spring disk being slit radially inwardly or provided with a cut-out portion with the adjacent portion being deflected downwardly to provide a leading ramp or cam surface so that insertion of the leading edge of the ramp through the panel aperture and wedging placement thereof under the blind face of the panel with subsequent rotation of the plug assembly in the direction of the leading edge of the ramp will effect progressive downward flexing of the trailing peripheral portions of the spring disk to underlie the blind face of the panel with the flange means engaging the accessible face of the panel and with the cup-like formation plugging the aperture in the panel.

United States Patent Collier 1 1 Oct. 24, 1972 1 HOLE PLUG [57] ABSTRACT 111118111011 Frank J- Collier, EaSlDllndee,111- A plug assembly for closing preformed apertures in 73 panels, or for closing holes resulting from removal of Assignee: lllinois Tool Works Inc., Chicago,

Ill.

[22] Filed: Dec. 22, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 100,745

[52] US. Cl ..220/25 [51] Int. Cl. ..B65d 45/00 [58] Field of Search ..220/25, 57, 39, 40, 24 GT; 215/51; 292/202.87; 85/9 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,247,391 11/1917 Gill 220/39 R 1,735,056 11/1929 Richey........ ..220/40 R 2,816,681 12/1957 Taylor "220/39 R Primary Examiner-Richard A. Schacher Attorney-Robert W. Beart, Michael Kovac, Jack R. Halvorsen and Thomas W. Buckman so-called knock-outs, and the like; and which includes a hole-closing shallow cup-like or dished formation with outward peripheral flange means and a spring disk fixed to the bottom of the cup-like formation by riveting, welding or the like and extending slightly outwardly beyond the cup-like formation for disposition in spaced relation to the flange means; and the spring disk being slit radially inwardly or provided with a cutout portion with the adjacent portion being deflected downwardly to provide a leading ramp or cam surface so that insertion of the leading edge of the ramp through the panel aperture and wedging placement thereof under the blind face of the panel with subsequent rotation of the plug assembly in the direction of the leading edge of the ramp will effect progressive downward flexing of the trailing peripheral portions of the spring disk to underlie the blind face of the panel with the flange means engaging the accessible face of the panel and with the cup-like formation plugging the aperture in the panel.

8 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures HOLE PLUG The present invention is concerned with a plug assembly for closing apertures in panels and the like by canted partial insertion of a portion of the plug assembly into the aperture to engage the blind face of the panel and then rotation of the plug assembly to efi'ect engagement of portions thereof with opposite faces of the panel and closing of the panel aperture by a cuplike formation within the aperture disposed between the panel face engaging portions.

Plugs for closing panel apertures or conduit ends have been provided with various types of assembly manipulations. In some instances, spaced interengageable lugs or cam surfaces have been provided around the panel or conduit aperture and on the plug so that rotation of the plug from an initial position will effect interlocking engagement between these lugs or cam surfaces for locating the plug in closing position. In some arrangements of this type, a lateral spring arm is provided for engaging the blind side of the panel lugs or cam surfaces. In other instances lateral spring arms carried by the closing plug may be engaged with the blind panel face by canting the assembly and overshifting the same'along a diameter of the panel aperture until the opposite end of the spring arm drops through the aperture and then the assembly is shifting oppositely along the diameter so that both ends of the spring arms engage the blind face of the panel with the plug portion closing the panel aperture and held therein by the face engaging ends of the spring arms.

An object of the present invention is to provide a plug assembly for closing such panel aperture and the like by canted partial insertion thereof into the aperture and subsequent rotation thereof in a predetermined direction to locate the assembly in aperture closing position.

With the above in mind, another object of the invention is to provide a plug assembly with a body to engage the exposed panel face around the aperture therethrough and a spring disk with a leading ramp formation deflected away from the body for insertion through the panel aperture and beneath the blind face thereof causing relocation of the spring disk to engage the blind face of the panel around the aperture upon rotation of the plug assembly in the leading direction of the ramp formation.

A further object of the invention is to provide a plug assembly of the above type which cannot be removed from its seated closing position without mutilation thereof.

The above and other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will be hereinafter pointed out in the detail description of the drawing in which the figures are as follows:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective of the plug assembly parts and a fragment of an apertured panel;

FIG. 2 is a side-view of the assembled plug with the left quarter in section;

FIG. 3 is a full sectional view of the plug assembly turned 180 from the position of FIG. 2 with the lip or ramp in initial position relative the panel also shown in section; and

FIG. 4 is a side view of the plug assembly with the left quarter in section after l80 rotation in the direction of the lip or ramp from the position of FIG. 3 to show the fully closed and locked position relative to the panel, also in section.

In FIG. 1 the parts of the plug are shown prior to assembly for association with a panel 10 also shown as a fragment with a panel aperture 12 therethrough. The plug assembly includes an outer disk or body member 14 with a central drawn dished or cup-like formation 16 encircled by a horizontal flange portion 18. The outer edge of the flange portion 18 is provided with upstanding peripherally spaced tabs 20, 20a to' serve as finger gripping elements to rotate the assembly as will be pointed out hereinafter. The dished portion 16 is provided witha central aperture 22 to receive therethrough a rivet 24 or the like for securing a spring disk 26 to the body member and the spring disk 26 is centrally apertured as at 28 for this purpose. However, it is to be understood that the parts may be secured together as a unit in any suitable manner as by welding or other fastening techniques. The spring disk is provided with an inclined lip or ramp 30 presenting an inclined camming or ramp surface 30a. This lip or ramp may be provided by radially slitting the disk or by cutting away some portion thereof as by the spiral cutout 32, as shown, to form the pointed end 30b of the lip which is then deflected downwardly away from the plane of the disk and the body member.

The parts described above are secured together by the rivet connection 24 as a unit, that is, without relative rotation between the body member 14 and the disk 26. The plug assembly can be made in various sizes but in most installations, as in the automotive industry, a particular type of installation, as in'automobile bodies, will dictate a great many plugs for particular sizes of panel apertures and the like. Thus, for any particular diameter size of panel aperture and panel thickness, the depth of the dished portion 16, that is, the extent of the peripheral wall 16a will be equal to or slightly less than the panel thickness and the diameter of the dished portion 16 will be selected to nicelyfit within the panel aperture 12 so that the underface of the body flange portion 18 will engage the adjacent surface of the panel 10. The underface of the body flange portion may have a sealant coating if desired. The diameter of the disk 26 is slightly larger than the diameter of the panel aperture 12 to underlie the blind face of the panel therearound but is selected so that the radial length of the lip or ramp 30 is such as to allow canted insertion thereof under the blind side of the panel to initiate re-location of the entire spring disk on the blind side of the panel as will be pointed out below.

For assembly of the plug to a panel for closing an aperture therethrough, reference is made to FIGS. 3 and 4. For convenience in illustrating, the panel 10 is shown at an inclination in FIG. 3 and initial placement of the plug .assembly will be canted relative thereto with the end 30b of the lip or ramp 30 disposed slightly beneath the blind face 10a of the panel and with the diametrically remote edge of the disk approximating I the edge of the aperture and the dished portion about plug assembly is rotated and with pressure applied toward the ramp or lip 30 and later in the direction of the disappearing edge of the disk, the flexibility of the spring disk outwardly of the rivet connection 24 comes into operation. The inclined ramp surfaces 30a wedges or cams beneath the blind surface a of the panel around the aperture and causes progressive flexing of the trailing peripheral edge portions of the spring disk to become positioned on the blind side of the panel, as shown in FIG. 4, when the peripheral portion of the disk at the slit or cut-out 32 will underlie the blind face of the panel. Where the depth of the dished portion 16 is slightly less than the thickness of the panel, as in FIG. 4, the re-located spring disk will be slightly flexed, as illustrated, to resiliently engage the blind face 10a of the panel around the aperture therethrough. This will tend to maintain a closing seal as well as prevent rattling of the plug inthe panel aperture. As will be appreciated, removal of the plug assembly from aperture closing position is impossible except with some form of mutilation thereof.

I claim:

1. A plug assembly for closing panel apertures and the like, and comprising a body member presenting a generally horizontally disposed peripheral flange portion dimensioned to overlie an exposed panel face around the aperture, and a spring disk secured to the underside of the body member and dimensioned to underlie the blind face of the panel around the aperture and spaced from the body member by a distance approximately the thickness of the panel; and said spring disk having a portion of the peripheral edge continuity thereof interrupted with a portion proximate to the interruption deflected away from the body member to provide a. leading inclined ramp surface insertable through the panel aperture to engage beneath the blind face of the panel such that rotation of the plug assembly in the leading direction of the ramp surface will effect progressive flexing of the trailing peripheral edge portions of the spring disk away from the body member with ultimate positioning and engagement thereof against the blind face of the panel around the aperture to hold the body flange portion in engagement with the exposed panel face around the aperture wherein the body member includes a dished central portion within the flange portion to snugly fit within the panel aperture when closed by the plug assembly, the spring disk being secured to the underside of the dished portion in order to space the spring disc axially from the horizontal flange portion for snugly receiving the edge of the panel aperture.

2. A plug assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the peripheral edge portion of the spring disk projects radially slightly beyond the peripheral edge of the dished central portion and has a diameter greater than the diameter of the panel aperture, to provide with the body flange portion a laterally open peripheral recess receiving the edge of the panel around the aperture when closed by the plug assembly.

3. A plug assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein the body flange portion is provided with upstanding spaced lugs at the periphery thereof to serve as finger grip members for rotating the plug assembly to aperture closin osition.

4. A glug assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the peripheral edge portionof the spring disk is interrupted by an inwardly extending cut-out with an adjacent portion of the disk reflected out of the plane thereof to provide the ramp surface with a leading edge for initial placement beneath the blind face of the panel in position for rotation.

5. A plug assembly as claimed in claim 4, wherein the cut-out portion is along a spiral edge presenting a leading pointed end.

6. A plug assembly as claimed in claim 5, wherein the dished portion is of a depth less than the panel thickness for maintaining the peripheral edge portion of the spring disk in stressed resilient engagement with the blind face of the panel around the aperture when the plug assembly is in aperture closing position.

7. A plug assembly as claimed in claim 6, wherein the outer edge of the dished portion fits snugly with the,

panel aperture when the plug assembly is in aperture closing position.

8. A plug assembly as claimed in claim 7, wherein the body flange portion is provided with peripherally spaced upstanding lug means for rotating the plug assembly to aperture closing position. 

1. A plug assembly for closing panel apertures and the like, and comprising a body member presenting a generally horizontally disposed peripheral flange portion dimensioned to overlie an exposed panel face around the aperture, and a spring disk secured to the underside of the body member and dimensioned to underlie the blind face of the panel around the aperture and spaced from the body member by a distance approximately the thickness of the panel; and said spring disk having a portion of the peripheral edge continuity thereof interrupted with a portion proximate to the interruption deflected away from the body member to provide a leading inclined ramp surface insertable through the panel aperture to engage beneath the blind face of the panel such that rotation of the plug assembly in the leading direction of the ramp surface will effect progressive flexing of the trailing peripheral edge portions of the spring disk away from the body member with ultimate positioning and engagement thereof against the blind face of the panel around the aperture to hold the body flange portion in engagement with the exposed panel face around the aperture wherein the body member includes a dished central portion within the flange portion to snugly fit within the panel aperture when closed by the plug assembly, the spring disk being secured to the underside of the dished portion in order to space the spring disc axially from the horizontal flange portion for snugly receiving the edge of the panel aperture.
 2. A plug assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the peripheral edge portion of the spring disk projects radially slightly beyond the peripheral edge of the dished central portion and has a diameter greater than the diameter of the panel aperture, to provide with the body flange portion a laterally open peripheral recess receiving the edge of the panel around the aperture when closed by the plug assembly.
 3. A plug assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein the body flange portion is provided with upstanding spaced lugs at the periphery thereof to serve as finger grip members for rotating the plug assembly to aperture closing position.
 4. A plug assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the peripheral edge portion of the spring disk is interrupted by an inwardLy extending cut-out with an adjacent portion of the disk reflected out of the plane thereof to provide the ramp surface with a leading edge for initial placement beneath the blind face of the panel in position for rotation.
 5. A plug assembly as claimed in claim 4, wherein the cut-out portion is along a spiral edge presenting a leading pointed end.
 6. A plug assembly as claimed in claim 5, wherein the dished portion is of a depth less than the panel thickness for maintaining the peripheral edge portion of the spring disk in stressed resilient engagement with the blind face of the panel around the aperture when the plug assembly is in aperture closing position.
 7. A plug assembly as claimed in claim 6, wherein the outer edge of the dished portion fits snugly with the panel aperture when the plug assembly is in aperture closing position.
 8. A plug assembly as claimed in claim 7, wherein the body flange portion is provided with peripherally spaced upstanding lug means for rotating the plug assembly to aperture closing position. 